Questions and Answers
about Latin in the Modern Roman Liturgy
Q. Didn’t
Vatican II abolish Latin?
The first document of
the Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, states
“The use of the Latin
language is to be preserved in the Latin rite” (para. 36). The
postconciliar document
on sacred music, Musicam sacram, states, “Care must be
taken that the faithful
may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of
the Ordinary of the Mass
which pertains them.” The liturgy document stated, “since
the use of the mother
tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the
sacraments or other
parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the
people, the limits of
its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first
place to the readings
and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants” (para.
36). The Council is
clear that Latin is to be continued to be used in the liturgy, while
the vernacular is an
option. Therefore, even if we have vernacular in the Mass, we
should still also have
Latin in the Mass as well.
Q. But isn’t
going back to Latin a bad thing? Shouldn’t we be moving
forward?
The Mass is actually
still in Latin; we just experience in many of our parishes the full
extent of permission to
use English. The Church never abandoned the Latin,
although in many places
parishes did not fulfill the express will of the Council
Fathers. There is no
question of going back; we are actually just now beginning to
do what the Council
asked.
Q. Isn’t
Latin exclusive, though? Won’t it split us up as Catholics?
Latin belongs to all
Catholics. The Catholic Church is a universal Church, open to
everyone. The use of a
common language in worship is more inclusive, because it
does not assume that
everyone has to worship according to any one language or
culture. Using only
vernacular languages actually “ghettoizes” divine worship
according to national
and ethnic boundaries. Latin transcends borders and
emphasizes the
international and multicultural character of the Church.
Q. Isn’t the
use of Latin just an historical anomaly that lasted way too long
anyway?
Almost all world
religions have a sacred language for worship. Muslims always read
the Qu’ran in Arabic.
Jews say all of their prayers in Hebrew. Hindus use Sanskrit
or Pali, which no one
speaks colloquially. Until the nineteenth century, Hebrew was
virtually lost even
among Jews. The Zionist movement made it a badge of religious
identity, and a century
later, an entire country has what was once a dead language as
its official tongue and
Jews throughout the world can all communicate in one
language. Dead languages
do come back to life because of religious reasons.
Q. Doesn’t 1
Corinthians 14.14 not say, “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth,
but my understanding is unfruitful”?
Saint Paul is not
speaking on liturgical language, but makes reference to the
Corinthians who were
trying to speak in tongues without having that gift, who were
essentially falsifying a
gift of the Holy Spirit. Catholics should learn the basic prayers
of the Mass in Latin as
part of their normal religious education, so it is not unknown.
That is why translations
are provided, so that they can learn them.
Q. How can I
get anything out of Mass if I can’t even understand every
word?
Remember that God is a
mystery beyond our intelligence. In the Eastern tradition,
the mystery of God’s
Otherness is expressed by a large part of the service being
done behind a wall of
icons and a series of veils. The people still actively participate,
but they do so fully
aware that the God they are worshipping is not immediately
accessible to them. In
the West, the function of icons and veils is taken in part by
language. It emphasizes
the mystery and the transcendence of a God who, despite
His closeness to us, is
still always beyond our reach.
That said, people
shouldn't underestimate just how much one can come to
understand the Latin
prayers. By the faithful praying these same Latin prayers over
and over, Sunday after
Sunday (often with the benefit of a Missal which also
translates those
prayers) they do become very familiar with them and know,
intensely, that which
they pray. In fact, because Latin is not our first language, it can
actually help us to be
more conscientious about what we are praying as we focus
even more upon how that
prayer translates and thereby more potentially ponder the
spiritual depths of its
meaning.
Q. Are there
any advantages to using both Latin and the vernacular in the
Mass?
Yes! With the readings,
the homily and certain prayers in the vernacular, the faithful
can feel God calling to
them in words that are familiar; the nearness of God is made
present by the immediate
comprehension of certain prayers and rites. We can foster
a community spirit with
a language which is used by some if not all of the
worshippers in our
parish church. But the Latin reminds us that the Church is not just our parish,
and exists not just in one nation; that she is for all people and all times. The Latin also reminds us that we cannot “own”
God; that He is a mystery not to be figured out, but to be adored.
Q. Is it
wrong if I don’t feel the same when parts or the whole of Mass is in
Latin?
The Mass is not about
us. It is about the worship of God. If it were about us, then
we would be adoring
ourselves, and putting ourselves in the place of God. The
Mass is the
re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Christ in obedience to His Father on
Calvary for the
salvation of the world. It is not entertainment. Worship is not having
an attractive emotional
experience that I design according to my likes and dislikes. It
is receiving the gifts
of that Holy Sacrifice and uniting my whole being with the great
hymn of praise offered
by the whole Church. Religion is not about us and our
feelings; it is about
offering to God the praise which is His due. And He asks us to
praise Him according to
the ritual forms as celebrated by His Church.
Q. How can I
learn more about my Catholic faith and its rich liturgical
heritage?
In Matthew 13.52 we
read, Every scribe who has become a disciple of the
Kingdom of Heaven is
like the head of a household, who brings out of his treasure
things new and old.
Veneration steeped in the Tradition should make us even more
aware of new and
creative ways to live our faith. If we are open to studying our
Catholic faith, the
documents of the Church, and cooperating with our priests in
living out the
liturgical riches of our Church, we have so much to gain!
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